I didn't know when I started watching this movie that its director was responsible for Winter's Bone. I mention this because, as I was considering comments for my review, I found myself comparing it with Winter's Bone. Both films share a raw quality that is both captivating and haunting.

Down to the Bone is a gritty look at a drug user who is struggling to get clean. From the very opening scenes, it felt like driving around almost any town anywhere, appropriately devoid of glitz, glitter and plastic surgery. This is the real America folks, and it ain't pretty.

Farmiga plays Irene, a mother of two young boys who works as a cashier at the local grocery store and gets through her day with a little help from that popular drug, cocaine. Her husband is more of a pot-smoking, beer-drinking kind of guy, but he clearly helps her out with securing her drug of choice.

Irene hits something of a low point when her drug dealer won't front her any more coke until she pays her debt to him. Cokeless and bummed out, she cries and then checks herself into rehab. She doesn't spend a whole lot of time there, as she has to get back to her job. After only a weekend stay, we don't have high hopes for her when she leaves.

The film basically follows Irene around in her daily life and tells the story of her relationship with drugs. What's missing is the chance to get to know Irene at all. When she is at rehab, or in a NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meeting, we never get to hear her speak. Does she speak? Not sure. These scenes are well-played and interesting, but they don't give us any real insight into her character.

Of the many movies I've watched with this same theme (the classic Clean & Sober, the poorly-named When a Man Loves a Woman, Rachel Getting Married, the list goes on & on), Down to the Bone is by far the most realistic story. The characters are people I swear I've met before. The scenery is familiar in the most drab and depressing way. However, I was left wanting more.

I never felt like I really got to find out anything meaningful about Irene. Yes, I saw her struggle with a drug addiction. But why? What led her to start using drugs? How did she happen to have two healthy boys even though she's been doing coke for 15 years? Did she ever aspire to have anything more than what she has right now?

Maybe it's okay to be left wondering. Irene certainly kept my attention and stayed in my thoughts for long after the movie ended. For that, it was worth the price of admission.

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